International Women’s Day Q&A with Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development NOW CLOSED TO NEW QUESTIONS

[JustineMumsnet]

[EDITED BY MNHQ: Questions have now been collated and sent over - new questions may not be answered]

Hello all,

We’re very pleased to announce a Q&A with Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women and Equalities.

Please post your questions on this thread by lunchtime on Wednesday March 6. We’ll send on a selection to the Minister and we will post up written answers from Penny on this thread this coming Friday (March 8), International Women’s Day.

In her role as Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt oversees DFID’s work ending extreme poverty overseas, including programmes focused on girls’ education and women’s health. DFID has been in the news recently, facing calls for its budget to be spent partly on encouraging projects that would aid British business overseas, and for it to be folded into the Foreign Office instead of being a standalone department.

In her role as Minister for Women and Equalities, Penny is also responsible for work including gender pay gap reporting and possible changes to the law concerning gender recognition.

Penny campaigned for Brexit in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum and is a Royal Naval Reservist. She has previously been Minister of State for Disabled People and Minister of State for the Armed Forces.

Please add your questions for Penny here by Wednesday lunchtime. And although it’s not a live webchat please stick to the spirit of our webchat guidelines and keep it civil.

If one topic is overwhelmingly dominating responses we might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. Rest assured we will ALWAYS make the recipient aware that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Thanks
Justine

Nb existing members will be able to post on this thread. Thanks.

Penny campaigned for Brexit in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum

Is the funding for the Leave Campaign still being investigated? Is there Government interference in the criminal investigation?

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-met-police-vote-leave-investigation-government-influence-spending-cambridge-analytica-a8586571.html

It asks the pair of chiefs whether they have been approached by “by government representatives to suggest that you soft-pedal this investigation due to political sensitivities”.

@MrsToddsShortcut

Hi Justine and MNHQ, I know that you are only passing a selection of these questions on to Penny to answer online on IWD, but is there any chance you could, in fact, pass on all of them?

This would be on the understanding that only the aforementioned selection would be formally answered on the day, but this is feeling like an important thread and all the questions are intelligently asked, well researched and easily evidenced.

We are potentially at a watershed moment regarding the topics covered by most of these questions. Irrespective of whether one agrees with the issues at hand, I think it's really important that as Women & Equalities Minister, Penny has the opportunity to read all the questions in her own time without the pressure to publically answer them.

In my opinion, all of these questions deserve to be read, as they represent the views of a significant number of women, across all areas of the country. As the Minister heading up the GRA consultation, it would be great if Penny had the opportunity to read the views of women, many of whom may not have had the opportunity to submit evidence to the consultation.

Many of these questions reference important medical evidence that has only come to light since the consultation, as well as valid concerns about the organisations that are training public bodies around these issues.

I'm not asking MN to take a position, just to ask nicely whether you would be able to pass on all of this to Penny, while, of course, onoly asking to address a selection.

Many Thanks on behalf of all of us

Yes we will pass all of them on, no problem.

Hello

We're sending on questions now. Just to let you know, because there are so many (and because we're a bit late sending them over) Penny won't be able to provide us with answers tomorrow but we hope to be publishing the answers on Monday next week - we'll keep you posted.

Thanks, Justine and Rowan.

Thank you Justine and Rowan

Thank you Justine and Rowan

Look forward to reading the responses. Thank you!

Thank you!

Brilliant. What a fantastic opportunity. Penny gets to read exactly what a true cross-section think.

Really looking forward to this. Thanks again for setting it up

Thank you - looking forward to seeing the replies on Monday. It's very appreciated.

Thank you. Looking forward to the answers.

Nice question, Cismyfatarse.
I very hope this will be asked and answered.

Thank you - eagerly awaiting Monday’s answers

JustineMumsnet Thank you!

Thank you 💐

Watching with interest

Also really looking forward to the answers.

katvonfelttipeyebrows: were you given a satisfactory reply to your question?

I reported my post as a request to have our questions used as the basis of ongoing discussions for Justine and Penny.

I was advised it will be forwarded to the webchat team .
What does that do? It doesn't confirm anything or answer the question, does it?

It’s a shame I missed the deadline. Wanted to ask if we could hold a referendum on self ID!

Very much looking forward to seeing the answers, some very good questions have been asked.

Will Penny MordantMP (Minister for Women & Equalities) and UK government support the Declaration of Women's Sex Based Rights and if not why not?

summary:
'Declaration on Women’s Sex Based Rights

The Declaration outlines current international laws and policies on women’s rights and how they are being threatened by organisations that are trying to change the definition of woman. It reaffirms existing women’s rights and suggests ways that states should promote and protect them. It was drafted with input from women internationally. Launching in March 2019, the Declaration is a clear call to law and policy makers to retain the sex-based biological definition of woman.

The Declaration on Women’s Sex Based Rights is a statement on the importance of keeping the current sex based definition of woman.

Women’s rights, set out in the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and subsequent international agreements, are based on our sex, defined by the UN as “the physical and biological characteristics that distinguish males from females”[1].

In recent years organisations have been quietly trying to replace the idea of biological sex with the idea of “gender identity” in human rights documents; and to include men who say they have a female “gender identity” in the word “woman”.

Many women’s rights are related to our biologically female bodies e.g. the right to abortion, and maternal rights. Other women’s rights are aimed at eliminating discrimination against women in public life e.g. women’s rights to education, political representation, work, equal pay. Further women’s rights are to protect us against violence or harmful practices e.g. rape, and FGM.

A key way women and girls are denied rights is by gender or sex role stereotyping (e.g. girls should help at home while boys go to school). The UN recognises this is harmful and works for “the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.”[2] The Declaration raises concern that the term “gender identity” reinforces sex role stereotyping because it is only possible to have a “gender identity” by choosing between sex role stereotypes for men and women.

In recent years some governments have been substituting “gender identity” for biological sex in law and policy, and including men who say they have a female “gender identity” in the word “woman”. This enables these men to access spaces and services set up for women and girls. This includes single sex victim support services, single sex sport, women’s shortlists designed to increase women’s participation in political and public life, scholarships and prizes for women, single sex toilets, changing rooms and sleeping areas aimed at protecting the safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls. Using “gender identity” instead of biological sex threatens maternal rights, women’s right to assemble and organise without including men, and data collection on violence against women and girls,. Furthermore, “gender identity” is being used to “transition” girls who do not conform to sex stereotypes."
www.womensdeclaration.com/

@JustineMumsnet

I realise that the questions have been sent.

Its International Women's Day today and the 'Declaration of Women's Rights' (see above) isn't being launched until 15th March. However today, its been shared on MN FWR and Im sure many women will become aware and interested in discussing it's content.
Its particularly important as the scope is international.

If there is anyway of adding it to the questions being asked for consideration, this would be really useful since it provides a legal framework.
Many thanks

[quote R0wantrees]@JustineMumsnet

I realise that the questions have been sent.

Its International Women's Day today and the 'Declaration of Women's Rights' (see above) isn't being launched until 15th March. However today, its been shared on MN FWR and Im sure many women will become aware and interested in discussing it's content.
Its particularly important as the scope is international.

If there is anyway of adding it to the questions being asked for consideration, this would be really useful since it provides a legal framework.
Many thanks[/quote]

We'll give it a go.